


FBI Unlikely

by KeJae



Category: Bones (TV), Chuck (TV), Numb3rs, Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye, White Collar
Genre: Gen, multi fandom crossover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-04
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-07 16:50:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4270713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeJae/pseuds/KeJae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The visiting agent had a prejudice against those that he felt weren't… appropriately placed in the world. Can these unlikely legends of the FBI prove their worth once again and blow his preconceived prejudices?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Characters

*******

This story has some additional crossover character teams from some other FBI shows so I have a basic list below with further introductions through the story.

Dr. Charlie Eppes: Professor of Applied Mathematics at CalSci and Consultant to the FBI, NSA, CDC, and other agencies. (Numb3rs character).

Agent Don Eppes: Charlie's big brother and the lead agent in charge for the FBI team that Charlie predominantly consults with in LA. (Numb3rs character).

Sue Thomas: Special Investigative Assistant for the FBI. Sue is deaf and reads lips when other means of monitoring conversations aren't available/safe. She is based on a real person who was a pioneer in people with disabilities working in the field for the FBI. (Sue Thomas FBeye character).

Levi: Sue's hearing dog. He is a Golden Retriever tasked with alerting Sue when someone is trying to get her attention and generally functions as her ears. (Sue Thomas FBeye character).

Agent Jack Hudson: Lead agent in charge of the DC team and Sue's handler/partner in the field as well as her fictional romantic interest. He is a hockey player, sniper, and FBI agent. (Sue Thomas FBeye character).

Then another team is mentioned in the end, but only briefly.

Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan: She is best known as a forensic anthropologist who works for the Smithsonian museum. In addition she consults for the FBI and writes mystery novels. (Bones character).

Agent Seeley Booth: A hockey player, military sniper, and FBI agent. He works as the FBI liaison to the Smithsonian and teamed with Dr. Brennan they solve murders with nothing left but the victim's Bones. (Bones character).


	2. Introductions

*******

I am FBI agent Hadrian Beckett. Before I tell this story, I would like to fill you in and explain why I perceive the world the way that I do.

When I was two years old, my parents went out and left me with my grandfather for an evening. He didn’t know what to do with me so he made sure I was fed and put to bed, but he didn’t do much else. Late in the night a pair of local police officers knocked on the door and informed him that there had been an accident. Suddenly the old man was saddled with a rambunctious toddler he didn’t know and there was no other place for me to go.

My grandfather was one of those old fashioned men who provided for his family but left most of the home responsibilities to his wife. For more than forty years he worked long hard days in the local factory progressing from a young boy running menial errands to the floor manager keeping everything running. He knew that factory like the back of his hand, but he didn’t know what a child needed beyond the basics of food, shelter, and an education. Growing up, he was always serious and distant, but he made sure that I had everything I needed and that I was raised right (in the sense of being a responsible citizen).

Over the years he used to share stories with me about the factory until I knew it nearly as well as he did. There were many stories but some of his main ones were the ones he told me about the people he didn’t like. Apparently, there was a deaf man who had worked in the factory for a few years. My grandfather thought he was dumb because he couldn’t understand him. Then, there was a former criminal. Grandfather always watched him like a hawk because he expected him to clean out the safe given the chance. Finally, there was the book smart “upstart” who replaced him when he retired. The man was fresh from college and had all kinds of ways to improve the factory, but no idea how it worked. His efforts had caused a lot of good local men to be laid off and a cut back in production until he too had been replaced. Needless to say, being raised to think that people with handicaps shouldn’t work, criminals shouldn’t get a second chance, and that intelligent people had their heads in a book with no real world application was going to catch up to me eventually.

When I struck out on my own, I went to college majoring in law before applying for the FBI. I buckled down and excelled at Quantico, completed my first year as a probie, and was eventually ready to find a team. The problem was that I had nowhere in particular to go. Being flexible in the FBI means living light and being transferred whenever and where ever there is a need.

*******

The case that changed my life came to me in the form of an invite to join a task force. We were working as a united team with representatives from the Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington DC offices. I was told that our group consisted of the best field analyst, consultant, and mathematician the FBI could put forward. Being invited to work with this team was a privilege and I was aware of the value of such an opportunity.

My opinion changed when I researched everything I could about said teams. After hearing my grandfather’s stories growing up, I was disheartened to discover that the analyst is deaf, the consultant a criminal, and the mathematician a book worm who still lives in the classroom. I couldn’t believe that I was being brought in to work with such a team when I had excelled in Quantico and showed such a promising career with the FBI.

Some might call me prejudice, but my grandfather always told me that people have a place and they should be in their place. Well, the FBI just isn’t for people who can’t hear instruction, might be collaborating with the criminals we’re chasing, and if the man can’t get his nose out of a book, what help is he going to be on the streets? No these people shouldn’t be in the field… and maybe not even in the office.

By the time I walked into the room I had the opinion that the ‘legends’ didn’t deserve the reputation they had. I thought that the agents who worked with these people buffered their counterparts out of pity… which means I couldn’t respect them either. My work with the task force wasn’t starting out well.

It got worse when the agents in command ordered me, as the rookie, to work with _them._

*******

Since I was going to be saddled with the misfits, it only made sense to introduce myself and get started. Generalizing how the old saying goes, the sooner we began the work the sooner we could finish.

The first team that I meant was the representatives from DC.

Agent Jack Hudson is an avid hockey player from Wisconsin, has a reputable history as a lawyer, former SWAT sniper, and a strong leadership of his team. His record for closing cases is great and his team even took down the ‘Prince of Terror’ which was a huge win for the good guys.

Keeping close to him is his team mate and analyst Miss Sue Thomas. She was born hearing but unexplainably went deaf when she was very young and her overly determined mother worked hard to ensure she had as normal of a life as possible. With three older brothers she was often involved in tom boyish activities, she was a champion ice skater as a child, her mother forced her to take piano lessons, but she wasn’t stellar at academics. Following her mother’s determination for her to lead a normal life she was enrolled in public school where her disabilities proved a hindrance to her education. Growing up, she chose a career with the FBI where she was first hired for Special Projects to work in finger print analysis (more like what I would expect). A chance encounter bought Jack into the picture and he opened the doors for her to join his team. Since working in the field she has been connected to some legendary busts, but she has also been rumored to be the cause for trouble. Perhaps her records from Quantico shouldn’t have been so ignored after all.

Jack was the first one of the team to approach me. “Hi, I’m Jack Hudson. This is Sue Thomas and Levi. It’s nice to meet you.” He seemed pleasant enough, but I still didn’t like him.

I shook his hand and greeted them back. Despite my research, it was a surprise to see Sue leading around a dog. Upon inquiry about the canine I was informed that he is her hearing dog. His job is to function as her ears by completing tasks such as signaling her when someone is trying to gain her attention.

We spoke for a few minutes but I focused on Jack as I figured Sue wouldn’t know what I was saying. When I asked Jack to translate for me she spoke up while Jack slightly smirked at my surprised expression.

There was something off in her pronunciation as several words weren’t quite right. (I suppose that was because she couldn’t hear to know how they were correctly said). “I can read your lips if you are looking at me when you speak. If it helps, I also sign ASL.” As she described her abilities, she was moving her hands around presumably in sign language.

That was new. My grandfather said that the guy he worked with just watched what others did and mimicked them as no one could communicate with him. Apparently this woman had not one, but two methods of communication. She could speak and read lips for the hearing world while also being able to sign for those who couldn’t hear. Perhaps there was more to her reputation after all?

While I was contemplating my new discoveries with the hearing versus deaf world, I noticed the mathematician and his brother from LA coming in my general direction.

Don Eppes is the senior brother of the duo. From what I have been able to gather, he was the jock in school before going on to play minor league baseball as a utility player. Although he was good, he wasn’t necessarily good enough to make a career at the sport so he walked away one day and signed up for the FBI. His career started in Fugitive Recovery, went to teaching at the academy, and moved through various field positions from the Albuquerque office to the LA office where he has remained. He is a strong leader with an amazing team closure rate and not afraid to take a risk which shows in his choice to bring his little brother on as a consultant.

Charlie Eppes was discovered as being exceptional when he could multiply four digit numbers in his head at the age of three. From there he flourished in the academic world as a math prodigy excelling at everything early before settling as a tenured professor in Applied Mathematics for Calsi. For part of his career, the doctor teaches classes and is often involved with published works whether they are his own or as a math consultant on someone else’s project. Outside of the classroom the Dr. is a respected consultant for the FBI with occasional involvement with the NSA, CDC, and several other government organizes. His reputation is that he can solve almost any problem using math and he has proven himself to generally be successful at it.

As they walked towards me, the Eppes brothers were laughing and rambling along about some scientific formula but it all sounded like gibberish to me. (My grandfather was right, book worms really are annoying).

Don shook my hand with a strong grip and Charlie seemed to have less muscle but more enthusiasm. Sue might not fit my grandfather’s depiction of a deaf person, but Eppes seems to hit his notions right on. I kept my conversation with them brief before moving on to meet the con and his handler.

The White Collar team was the last group for me to meet. Since we were task forced on a different floor than their offices are located on, I only worked with Agent Peter Burke and his Consulting Informant Mr. Neal Caffrey.

Peter is the lead agent for the local White Collar team. He had stellar academics and a degree in advanced mathematics, particularly related to accounting. When he finished school he played pro baseball but an injury cut his career short. (Like Don, he resorted to the FBI). His reputation for doing the right things no matter what and finding all of the facts has earned him the nickname “The Archeologist.” Rumor has it that he aspires to DC and he’ll probably make it with his track record if his choice in consultant doesn’t hold him back.

Neal is an enigma. There is no record of his existence prior to the age of eighteen and the time since is full of “alleged” stories that can’t be verified. He is suspected in crimes around the world covering a broad spectrum of mediums and by reputation the man is brilliantly intelligent, charming to a fault, and a master in the art world. I planned to keep my eyes on this one.

My introduction to this duo was unnerving. Neal dripped with charm and he seemed disgustingly pleasant. Talking to him almost made me sick. When he reached his hand out to shake, I intentionally made the contact as short as possible before subtly ensuring my watch was still where it belonged. You never know with criminals after all.

Peter was pleasant but I didn’t want to hang around the criminal long. Fortunately, we were all called in for a group meeting to get everyone up to speed on what was going on.

As I walked away from them, I noticed that Peter was giving Neal a look of reprimand, almost like he had done something. That made me curious so I ran through a check of all of my belongings to find nothing was missing or out of place. If Neal had done anything, I didn’t know what and that was what unnerved me.

Thinking through the introductions, Sue may have affected my opinion of her working in general, but I still didn’t believe that these people should be in the FBI.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous: Trying to mesh Neal and Bryce is definitely a challenge that gets addicting... When I write a new story, my brain is always playing with the concept and making it difficult to finish one story as my mind is creating alternate scenes or new story ideas at the same time... If you ever decide to start writing those spin offs, feel free to use my ideas. I just ask that you keep the plots clean enough for me to read them too ;)
> 
> I'm glad that so many of you are liking my stories, thank you all for reading, reviewing/commenting, leaving kudos, following, and choosing to favorite :D


	3. Observations

*******

As we sat through the meeting I found myself observing these odd teams that I had been assigned to work with. They had been pleasant enough when we were talking but instinct told me that my aversion to them hadn’t gone unnoticed. My curiosity made me wonder what their reactions would be. Oddly enough, I noticed that none of them seemed to be too deeply affected.

For a little while there were hints of a storm in Jack’s eyes. He didn’t appreciate anyone treating Sue different because she couldn’t hear and, being her partner and handler, he seemed to have a protective streak. Although Sue didn’t seem to like my reaction either, she only had a flash of hurt before focusing on Jack. Her calm seemed to rub off on him because after a while his shoulders relaxed and he glanced at Sue. Returning his look, she also calmed down and I realized that she was more concerned with his angry reaction than my opinion.

Turning to the Eppes brothers, I wondered how they would react. Like any big brother would, Don seemed to be keeping a close eye on Charlie. Every once in a while he would glance at his brother and Charlie would give him a reassuring look in return (if he noticed Don anyway). Charlie continuously seemed to be enthralled in the speech that the leader of this group was giving. As for reacting to me, he seemed to treat me like another critic whose opinion wasn’t worth being bothered about.

Finally, I decided to see how the local team was reacting to my criticism. Peter seemed to be mostly focused on the case, but he was also giving Neal sideways glances from time to time. I don’t know if he was making sure he was behaving or still trying to figure out what he had done, but he didn’t seem too worried. Neal occasionally smirked in my direction which reinforced the theory that he had in fact done something, even though I still didn’t know what. His reaction was the one that bothered me. Not only was he not deterred by my negative reaction, he seemed to have decided to play pranks on me. A decision that I can assure you was not appreciated.

Eventually the agent next to me asked if I happened to have a paperclip. When I responded to the negative, Neal told me to check my jacket. Looking down I discovered what he had done. There was a paperclip on the front of my jacket with a message that said “I could have stolen your wallet.” Glaring at him, I found Peter somewhere between glaring at him and rolling his eyes. The man had just threatened to steal my wallet and his handler simply told him not to mess with me while doing nothing disciplinarily? They were my least favorite team to begin with but their behavior wasn’t helping my opinion, rather they were confirming it.

To my relief Peter pulled Neal aside after the meeting, but he only seemed to verbally reprimand Neal.

*******

I was assigned the end corner of a conference room for the duration of my stay. Although my niche was rather small due to the door taking up a portion, it was adequate. Since I move a lot, I have learned to work with the basics so I had my coffee, folders, and a few standard supplies neatly arranged around my space.

As for my fellow occupants of the conference room, their arrangements stood in stark contrast.

Charlie was assigned nearly half of the conference room and it didn’t take long to understand why. He filled the entire wall space with a line of marker boards, had papers strewn acrossed half of the table in piles, and the only clear space was where he and his brother sat with their computers. When they weren’t conferencing together, Charlie tended to have headphones in while he either wrote all over the boards or stared at his computer screen. Don was more professional as he simply chewed on a pen while he thought.

The remaining portion of the room in between us was further split into halves.

Jack and Sue sat on one side with Levi sleeping on the floor beneath the table. Their folders were fairly neatly stacked in front towards the center, they had coffees close to reach, supplies between them, and their laptops in front of them. The duo worked smoothly as they progressed through their folders and her inability to hear didn’t hinder them. When Jack needed to speak with Sue he simply touched her arm and waited for her to respond.

Mirroring them on the other side, Peter and Neal had the same general arrangement with a few differences. Neal had his hat sitting beside him and kept fiddling with things like a pen or rubber band ball. Peter redirected him with something new to do when he began to get annoying.

We were all working the same case with different angles of attack. Mine was traditional police work… I didn’t know what theirs were.

*******

As the days passed by the others in the room began to form friendships.

Neal was the first one to begin building friendships as he continuously reached out to everyone in the room (even me in a distantly polite way). He was kind to Sue as he made sure to face her when speaking, used sporadic sign language, and tried to ensure the environment was easy for reading lips. It turned out that he has a skill in the area so he used it almost like a secret language with her. At first this seemed to make Jack a combination of curious and nervous, but Peter translated enough of what was being said to relieve any concerns. While Sue was feeling welcomed by Neal’s efforts and Peter’s kindness, Jack was pleased with their efforts to make her comfortable.

Once they had formed a friendship, they drew the other team in with talk of sports. Since Peter and Don both played baseball they quickly picked up on their similar interest while Jack was able to contribute with an understanding of the sport. Charlie and Sue even managed to join into the conversation by talking statistics or about the history of the signals used in the game.

(It turns out that the signals umpires use were first created for the benefit of a deaf player. Interesting, I never knew that deaf people had caused so many things commonly known today).

From there the group formed a stronger cohesion in the office and began to hang out in the evening when we were dismissed for the night.

Neal made sure to show everyone to the best hangouts in the city to sample some of the city culture. He also made recommendations as to which places to get food and which hotel to go to for affordable accommodations while being on budget.

Peter backed up his recommendations saying that “He knows all of the best places.”

It didn’t take long until I was the odd man out. No one seriously invited me along for anything or did anything more than offer assistance. This was my own fault really. They all knew that I didn’t approve of them so they left me to my own thing while being polite.

*******

I was frustrated by being forced into working with them and angry that they were making me question my grandfather’s teachings (mostly that was just Sue) so I began to let some of my temper loose. Of course I didn’t show my displeasure to the agents, but their partners got the brunt of it.

Caffrey was the main person whom I went after. We ended up on an elevator ride together as we were headed for lunch. I was going to get my own while he was on a run for the rest of the group. Before we parted ways in the lobby I made sure to throw a snide comment his way about how he shouldn’t even be allowed to fetch the food for the FBI as he was nothing more than a criminal. To my utter amazement he laughed softly while smirking at me… he laughed at my opinion of him! That made my anger smolder. How dare he laugh at me and the way my grandfather taught me to perceive the world! His reaction was something that I would have to deal with later as he disappeared into the crowd before I could come up with anything else to say.

Later we were working on the case and I was presenting my finds. Since I wanted to prove that Sue shouldn’t be working in the FBI, I purposely didn’t even try to remain in her view. She would have had to ask me to repeat myself, as she undoubtedly missed a great deal of my report, but that was prevented as the others made sure to fill her in on what she missed.

For Charlie, I made the mistake of cracking a comment that his math couldn’t possibly be useful in the real world… I got an extended lecture on how math is in everything and some generals on its application.

It wasn’t right of the FBI to hire a bunch of people who didn’t belong in the FBI and my efforts to point that out seemed to have had no effect. They either ignored my reproof, the problem was solved by others, or they had a reason rehearsed (that speech of Charlie’s sounded like he had used it many times). Then the agents who work with them didn’t feel any kind of need to help them prove their positions, it was like they believed their people had proved their worth with the FBI. Why was it that I was the only person who saw what was the matter?

*******

Our group dynamics begin to change after a while.

Sue started to spend more time watching surveillance clips and writing transcripts of what was going on. This led to more surveillance trips and her being taken along to sit in the van so that she could watch more of the situations first hand as they happened. At first Jack continued to go through files in their space alone, but as she started moving into field he was brought along to assist her.

(If she couldn’t go out into the field alone, why let her go out at all)?

As more information started to roll in and the investigation progressed, Neal started being more useful too. Instead of staring at files or fidgeting, he started adding information from his criminal knowledge. It was unnerving just how quickly he could whip out the facts though. I would give him a name, he would get a look on his face, and then he could tell me the person’s life story. How did he know so much information and how did he be produce it so easily?

Then Charlie started to creep me out too. As we got more data on the perpetrators, he actually started running calculations to give us their address based on the locations of their activities. (How is that possible?) What made his work scarier was that as agents followed his lead, they continued to find evidence which helped him to take them closer.

(So he could sit in the office taking the data collected by agents in the field and use numbers to tell them how to proceed on the case? This taskforce was getting weirder the longer we worked together.)

While the assistants were making progress, the agents seemed to be doing the field work and more labor intensive activities. Peter and Don had teamed up in the room while they relegated Neal and Charlie to team up. As Neal and Charlie turned out information from the streets and mathematical result, Peter and Don transferred it to the rest of the agents and organized the use of the information. If Neal and Charlie said that the perpetrators were going to hit another location in two days, then Peter and Don arranged for a team to derail that attack. Like clockwork the four of them were working together and making leaps and bounds of progress.

Sitting acrossed the table watching them, I was still using files to make my progress.

*******

While the case continued to progress I often found myself alone in the room with Neal and Charlie.

As I watched them working, I noticed that they seemed to get along fabulously. Charlie would bounce between his computer and white board as he worked his numbers while Neal simply curled up with his feet on the table and a lap top balanced on his legs. When Charlie rambled on in complicated numbers, Neal simply followed what he said or bounced his head and waved his hand while he waited for him to get to the point.

The rare times that Don was in the room he would smile at Neal’s antics and say that his team had a phrase for it. “My team generally refers to your actions as ‘nodding along while waiting for him to get to the punch line.’”

Since the phrase was said in jest, Charlie would duck his head in embarrassment as he smiled before jumping to the point he was trying to make. This often led to the rare occasions that I had an idea of what Charlie was always babbling on about.

When Charlie did eventually get to the point, he would usually break down the gibberish of the math into basic points. For example, he could figure out the home base of our perpetrators by finding the average distance between their crimes and work back to a likely point of origin (like finding the sprinkler from the placement of the water droplets).

I continued to find that these people defied my opinions of them. First, Sue proved that she was intelligent and capable of communicating with both the hearing and deaf worlds. Then, Charlie slowly showed that his math really did have its uses in the field when his work had results. Fortunately, I could rely on Neal keeping to my expectations. “Once a criminal, always a criminal” after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading, reviewing/commenting, bookmarking/following, leaving kudos, and choosing to favorite. :D Also, this is completed and will be posted on Sundays until finished.
> 
> I know this story is odd with so many crossovers, but they are all FBI and star people that you don't initially expect to find in the FBI. This story has been in my mind for some time and I hope that I didn't do too bad at pulling them all together.


	4. Unlikely Heros

*******

Finally, the case reached a point where Neal was anxious to get into the field while Charlie claimed to need some more data that only he could collect as he needed to be there in person.

At first the agents in charge weren’t certain about sending three untrained personnel out into the field alone. Then they decided to assign me to sit in the van while agents Don, Jack, and Peter worked in the field nearby as a team. They would be in regular contact with us just in case anything was to go amiss.

This meant that I was ordered into the van with all three of them alone in close quarters. Sue was in charge of watching in general, Charlie was looking out the windows and inputting his data into the computer, and Neal was simply taking advantage of a change in atmosphere. Fortunately, Levi was left behind at the office or we might have had a restless dog to crowd the little space even more.

For several hours there was little to do. Charlie would look out the window and mutter things before putting more data into the computer system. Sue would move about and scan various parts of the neighborhood as she watched for anything suspicious and occasionally helped Charlie look for something in particular. Neal had found a new place to kick his feet up while he simply moved and assisted as requested. Since there wasn’t anything for me to do but be the only agent present, I found myself settled into the corner continuing my observations of their interactions. (The only change in their interactions was the location and size of the space as they were each as helpful and accommodating of each other as before).

*******

After several hours things took a turn for the worse. The first thing to occur was when the computers started to glitch. Charlie tried to trace the source of the trouble with the computers while Neal helped. Turning to me, Neal ordered me to contact the agents and tell them that something was wrong before I was to help Sue on lookout just in case there was going to be an attack. Sue followed instructions and watched from the front where she would have the greatest view around us. I tried to message for backup only to find all communications down. Not even my cell phone would put through a call. Getting worried, I had no idea what to do or how to handle this kind of situation.

While they were battling that problem, Sue alerted us to a bigger issue. There were heavily armed men approaching from the side. As they went about their plans we were helpless to stop them so Sue read their lips and relayed what was going on (I didn’t know a person could read lips backwards in a mirror). Apparently the group we were up against was led by some man named Tyrone Rex and he was determined to get his hands on some government project called the “Intersect.” The men placed a box on the side of the van which made a point of contact close enough to the computers in the van that they were able to hack the system and began stealing a considerable about of data.

In an effort to block them, Neal worked to close off their access while instructing Charlie on how to tag things for later investigations. He said that what they were doing would provide a way of identifying the hacker, tracing what was lost, and hopefully getting a way to know what they would be trying next.

Then the hacking stopped. Sue suddenly ordered everyone to get down as gunfire erupted through the van. Armor piercing rounds made quick work of the upper area of the van. (Should anyone have been standing, they would have been killed instantly). Then as the shooters worked their way down, Neal barked orders like a trained soldier or field agent.

He grabbed a pack he had stashed close to hand. Giving us a sheepish expression, he pulled out a couple of guns and a badge. “The directors are going to kill me for breaking cover, but I’d rather them than these guys.” Then making sure that we all knew what was going on, he instructed that he would dive out and provide cover while we were to run a short distance to a cement barrier. Moving us into position, Neal gave a fingered countdown before blasting out of the door.

While he laid down cover fire, we ran for safety away from the depleted protection of the van. Once we were past him, Neal started moving along with us keeping slightly behind as a rear guard.

Taking the lead, I started to kick into agent mode. Holding my gun out in front of me I checked to make sure we weren’t walking into another trap before pushing the others to safety behind the concrete wall. Since Neal was right behind us, we all had to duck quickly before the retaliating fire opened up again.

Crouched low beneath the whizzing bullets, Neal checked us over and had us work to cover the bleeding from various minor injuries. Since the van looked like Swiss cheese, it was of no wonder that we found ourselves bearing several shrapnel wounds. Once Neal was sure we wouldn’t leave a blood trail he took us for an army crawl further down the alley. From there we climbed up the back of an old abandoned building and fled the area.

After crossing several connected buildings, Neal decided to check the lay of the land. He instructed us to crouch down facing different directions so that no one would sneak up on us while he checked around. When he returned, he was dismayed to inform us that our attackers were running around in a literal little army. They were everywhere looking for us. It wasn’t safe for us to keep moving with our injuries, but we couldn’t just sit back and wait to be found either.

Neal chose to handle our predicament by hiding the two who couldn’t fight, with me to guard them, while he stood guard and took down any patrols that got too close. This way we should be able to hold out until backup arrived while also reducing the odds of anyone getting killed.

When I tried to argue with him he gave me a short clipped command. “Currently, I am the ranking agent present who is trained and experienced in dealing with these situations, so stand down and follow orders agent Beckett.”

I was shocked. He wasn’t acting like a con man at all and there wasn’t anything disgustingly pleasant or charming about him. Instead, he was all business on high alert with a dangerous look about him. This was the appearance, actions, and words of an agent. The turn of events had taken the rest of us by surprise, but the other two seemed to be less so than myself which was noted by Sue’s comment. “You play a conman well but there is something about you that lacks that level of dishonesty. A secret agent fits the discrepancies.”

That seemed to please Neal as he responded. “Thank you Sue. You’re not that bad yourself. Now if you’ll excuse me, they want the Intersect so, as guardian, I’ll just have to give them a taste of its training capacity.”

Charlie’s eyes bugged out of his head in response to that. “I know who you are!”

As he finished settling us into our hiding place, Neal winked at him. “We just worked together twice and it took you this long to recognize me. Stay put and keep quiet, I don’t want anyone to get hurt any worse.” And with that last order he was gone.

It was eerie. Neal had cleverly hid us in a random hole in the wall so it looked like a pile of boards were leaning up against a wall with no place to hide when we were really located in the hidden space behind it. From our position, we could see the alley in both directions to the left and right while being able to see straight ahead down a third alleyway. The wind was channeled through the space rustling trash and carrying noise from a distance keeping us wound up.

Charlie took one side to keep watch, Sue took the middle, and I took the other side. As we hid, we watched several patrols walk by and poke at the trash. Once in a while someone would shoot into a dark space if they saw movement, but it usually just turned out to be rats.

Then after a while we started to notice some things. Each patrol wore identification to indicate which part of the group they were with. They always moved in groups of at least two and were heavily armed. Finally, they would report into their radio that they would do a sweep through our alley before changing places and combing through again, but they never did.

Another person kept showing up dressed the same and wearing identification like the others, but he didn’t act the same.   This one moved alone and bounced around instead of moving through with a purpose of finding us. He was hunting, but for different prey.

We decided that this was likely to be Neal after he had stolen some clothes to help him hide from the attackers. Playing one of their own gave him a better chance of surviving longer than being an obvious enemy.

One of the patrols started poking around our hiding spot and was bound to find us except noise around a corner farther down distracted them. When they moved on to investigate, we saw Neal slide through them before both men crumpled to the ground. As we continued to watch, Neal flipped them over, bound them, removed their weapons, hid them in a stash, and drug the men into a room before locking them in.

Another patrol rounded the corner and by the time we looked back to where Neal had been standing, he was gone again.

That was how our time continued.

The wait was driving me crazy. It was obviously that we were severely outnumbered and Neal couldn’t take them all on alone. I checked my phone at one point to find no signal and the others followed my lead to discover the same. There was nothing that we could do so we followed orders and watched in uncomfortable fear while Neal crept about like a ghost defeating the enemy a few at a time.

*******

Eventually the other agents could be heard approaching us. By the sounds of it, they were extremely worried and hoping we had found a place to hide. Despite their obvious optimism, we could hear the fear that they would find our bodies dumped in one of the random back alleys as there wasn’t much likely hood that we would have survived such a full scale attack (indeed we probably wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been for Neal and Sue).

When they came into our portion of the alley, we watched as they approached us checking through each pile of trash with a caution that revealed how much they feared what they would find. As they got closer we reached a point where we felt comfortable calling out to them. Their heads whipped around and they hurried towards us eager to reassure themselves that we were okay.

Jack signed something to Sue who quickly signed that she was okay while Don hugged Charlie to reassure himself that his brother was alright. Peter got a very worried look on his face when he noticed that Neal wasn’t with us. I was about to explain to him what I could about Neal when a number of patrols started popping out of the building around us showing that we were found, surrounded, outnumbered, and out gunned.

Those of us carrying weapons were ordered to place them on the ground while we were all to step out of behind the boards. When only three people came out, they demanded the fourth come out also. I told them that the last one had run for help so he wasn’t with us. The leader spoke into his radio for another team to look for our “comrade” and when no one answered he told us that he “would take care of him” after he finished with us.

Standing in the open, it felt like we were facing down the firing squad. Sue placed herself next to Jack, Don tried to stand slightly in front of Charlie, and Peter was left on the end by me.

As the men raised their weapons we tensed in preparation for death, but before they could open fire on us, another man dropped in behind them drawing their fire his way as he was a direct threat.

While we watched, the man danced through them like they were no threat at all. Their guns proved useless as he simply dodged the bullets despite the close range. When they tried to hit him he used their momentum against them and redirected it into another opponent using them as weapons against each other. Even their numbers didn’t help them as he simply took them on a few at a time while seeming to keep an awareness of where every one of them was at. That was proven when one of the back ones moved to point his gun at Peter only for the man to throw another man’s empty gun at him. The weapon worked like a club knocking the attacker off guard and giving the man time to reach him before he could try his move again.

Although we would have loved to help, we didn’t know what to do. I moved to take on one attacker, but he was downed by a discharged ammunition clip to the forehead before I could do anything. Peter moved to catch one before he could run away but he was downed by a trash can lid making him easy to capture. Don and Jack also tried to help with similar results. It was like the man was in a zone fighting and he didn’t want us to leave anyone unprotected by helping him.

Then finally, when he had taken down the last man, our rescuer turned to us and proved our earlier theory correct. The man removed his head gear to reveal a sweaty Neal. He held up a hand to keep Peter at bay when he moved towards him. “I’m fine Peter, but like the others I have a lot of shrapnel wounds with the addition of a few bullet grazes. There aren’t any injuries that can’t be solved with a few stitches at most so relax, we’re all okay.”

We all breathed a sigh of relief when the next sounds we heard were that of SWAT coming around the corner with full back up. Seeing him dressed like the enemy, they tried to arrest Neal until Peter cleared him saying that he was one of ours.

With that cleared up, Neal started rattling off the locations and numbers of the attackers directing teams to go pick them up. As the numbers grew, everyone’s eyes got bigger.

Then he asked to borrow Peter’s phone. His call was to someone named Beckman and consisted of a warning that a breach of security had occurred with the FBI database. The target was project Intersect, its attackers led by Tyrone Rex, and he advised to take precautions accordingly. Ending that call, he dialed the FBI to inform someone that his cover was blown a little bit so they would need to arrange a meeting with Peter to create a new arrangement with him in the know. Returning Peter’s phone, he gave our group a few answers while we continued to have a moment away from the rest of the agents swarming the area.

“I can’t tell you everything, but I am a task force agent. My past includes projects like the Intersect and several other situations where being outnumbered is common which has forced me to become adept at extreme combat. Playing Caffrey isn’t my favorite alias, but I have had worse, and it is the only safe one that hasn’t been compromised by traitors.” He was trying to tell us something while keeping from revealing too much.

Charlie muttered off to the side in response. “I have worked with you as yourself, and you’re not even touching on several things.”

“I’m sorry Charlie, but that name is on the books as dead again so you’ll just have to keep what you know to yourself, that includes not telling Don.” Then he switched back to being all business. “Peter, we’re going to need to visit the local hospital for stitches.” Shifting position he addressed us all. “When we get back to the office, Charlie and I will need to get to work on the hackers and the information that we tagged so we can see how much of a trail they created. Sue saw the name Tyrone Rex as being the leader of this so some of you can get to work on him and any of his associates to see what turns up. The rest of you can look into how he got such heavy weaponry and where he got himself an army for hire.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, reviewing/commenting, leaving kudos, following, and choosing to favorite :)
> 
> We are down to two chapters left for this story full of the perspectives and reactions. Although I have a possible plan for what to post next, is there any requests for what you would like to see? There are some new additions to the list on my profile page if you would like to check that out.


	5. Reactions

*******

When we arrived at the hospital there was a flurry of activity as the four of us were swept off into examination rooms while the other three waited for us in the waiting room.

The doctor assigned to me checked me over and took stock of my injuries. Then he stitched and patched everything up until I felt like I had lost a fight with a porcupine. When my obvious injuries were taken care of he took some blood for tests and did some basic checks to make sure there wasn’t going to be any internal problems.   Finally, I was released with a clean bill of health and allowed to join the other agents in the waiting room.

As I walked into the waiting room, I watched every head in the place glance to see who was exiting the back hallway. Jack and Don gave me nods of acknowledgement while Peter glanced at me briefly before answering his phone. Returning the nods, I took the seat acrossed from them and waited.

Peter paced on the phone off to the side of the space while Don and Jack made light conversation for a few minutes before returning to silence. When Peter came back over, he took his seat and asked me how I was like the others had before telling us what his call was about.

“They’ve finished checking out the van. There was a box placed on the side of the van which was used as jump point close enough to the computers for hacking the FBI database. When the investigators moved out to the likely point of origin for the attack…” He shuddered briefly. “They found a jammer strong enough to block all communication for several blocks placed next to a truck. Opening the truck they found a custom made gun designed after machine guns with the capacity to shoot armor piercing rounds big enough to shred the van.”

Don rubbed his face with his hands in a combination of anxiety and anger. “This is going to be another one of those secrets we have to keep. My dad would have a heart attack if he knew Charlie had been in that or that we had basically faced a firing squad. Its days like this that keep him up at night afraid the next case might take us both out.”

Jack was leaned forwards facing the floor. “I know what you mean. Sue’s parents are very protective of her. If anything ever happened to her on my watch I think her mom would eat me alive… that is not even mentioning how upset the team would be.”

Since Peter was remaining silent I decided to ask him how he was doing. “How are you doing Peter?”

Startled, he glanced up at me. “Huh. How am I doing? You’re the one who was in that thing when it happened.”

Clarifying, I asked him again. “I mean ‘how are you doing’ just like the question sounds. You just found the van shredded into holey Swiss cheese, feared your partner had likely been killed in such an attack, and then discovered that you don’t even know who he is after everything that you have been through.”

“Oh. I think those pictures of the van are going to haunt my nightmares for a few weeks and make me think differently about ever sitting in one again. Neal said he was arranging a meeting for me to be ‘in the know’ so I guess I’ll find out who he actually is soon enough. Perhaps that will help me deal with the pictures running through my head. Although I know he’s alright, I can’t get the pictures out.” He looked up at me and I could see the fear in his eyes but he kept himself under control despite it all.

In my peripheral, I saw Jack and Don shuddering as well but none of them were emotionally out of control. It was obvious they were extremely concerned even though they weren’t crying or throwing tempers. I marveled at their control and found myself respecting them more than I had before learning about their partners.

“What’s wrong?” We all jumped as none of us had heard Charlie approach.

Before anyone could think of an answer, Don was up and hugging Charlie again and pelting him with questions. “How are you? What did the doctor say?”

To relieve his brother’s anxiety, Charlie gave him the papers to physically look over while trying to reassure him that he was okay. It took a few minutes but Don was reassured enough to let Charlie sit down. Peter had slid over a seat to make room for Charlie next to his brother and Jack threw in his relief at seeing the kid alright.

I knew that the question was somewhere on all of our minds and Charlie knew the answer. “Hey Charlie.” He looked at me surprised as I had never really talked to him before. “When he was hiding us, you said you know who Neal actually is. Can you tell us anything while we wait?”

Suddenly he had Don and Peter’s full attention.

Charlie got a look on his face as he tried to determine what to say. “Yeah, I have met him before and know of him. I consulted on some operations he was involved with so I have technically worked with him as himself twice.”

He paused for a moment while he tried to get together some ideas as to what to say. Don directed him with some questions of his own. “Is he someone we can trust? What is he like as himself?”

“Well, he is one of the most trusted agents in the country. His actions in the field have made him a living legend and his heroism has protected a great deal. I don’t know much about him outside of the field, but he is known to be stubbornly determined when he wants to be and very protective of those he cares about. Other than that, I either don’t know or can’t say.” He shrugged to back his unwillingness to talk further.

It was enough. Don wasn’t so worried about Neal being a threat to his little brother while Peter sat back and mulled over the vague description.

Trying to understand as best I could the best person to talk to was Peter. “Does that sound like the Neal Caffrey you know Peter?”

My sudden chattiness wasn’t something that they were accustomed to but they took it in stride. “Yes and no. Neal is stubborn, protective, he has a legendary knack for the impossible, you can trust him when it counts, and he isn’t above being a hero, especially for a damsel in distress. Still, as much as that can be made to fit him his being a heroic agent is going to take some getting used to.”

This time we heard the door as Sue entered the room and caught the group’s attention. Jack was up waving her over to us as soon as he saw it was her at the door. When she got closer he moved to meet her and asked if she was alright. She said that she was okay but going to be a little sore as she sat down. In response he signed some things to her and they carried on a conversation in silence for a few minutes.

Watching them was rather interesting. I couldn’t hear a thing and yet I could see his worry for her and her gratitude in every facial expression and gesture. Suddenly, I got the impression that these two would be dating if there weren’t agency rules against it.

When they had ended their personal conversation the group picked up some general talk. With the majority of our group sitting together it was inevitable that we talked about what had happened. No one got too detailed, but we all told a little bit of our own perspectives.

Eventually, Neal was released and caught up to us in the waiting room. When he walked over to us he handed is papers to Peter. “See, nothing that a few stitches and bandages wouldn’t cover and time won’t heal.”

Peter inquired, “Then why did it take you so long?”

Neal shrugged. “I just had more to stitch and bandage I guess. Those guys weren’t playing nice but there is no permanent damage done. Don’t worry Peter, I really am fine.”

With our group reunited we picked up and headed back out to the SUV Peter had borrowed to transport us all.

While we were walking Neal asked Charlie. “What did you tell them?”At Charlie’s look he clarified. “I know you didn’t tell them much but you would have said enough of nothing in particular to ease your brother’s concerns so I would like to know what you said so I can try to be prepared for their reactions.”

Nodding in understanding, Charlie answered. “I told them that you were trustworthy, a legend, heroic, and that I understand you to be very stubborn and protective.”

“Hmm, it can be interesting what rumors have spread when you hear things about yourself.”

Charlie looked angrily at him. “Don’t try to put it off as being rumors. My sources are the agency directors themselves so they have direct access to your files to avoid rumor.”

Neal gave him a dirty look that said he didn’t want them to know that much.

Shrugging again, Charlie said “What? I didn’t say anything particular and all of it was true.”

Sighing, Neal gave him a world weary look. “You meant well Charlie but it is only going to make it harder for them to treat me like a con. My whole cover often relies on how others perceive me so I need to keep up appearances.”

Peter threw in, “Oh I can threaten to throw you back into prison more often, check your tracking data more to ensure you’re not off pulling missions, and keep you loaded down with enough mortgage frauds that you won’t be giving me a heart attack like that again anytime soon!”

This had all of the other agents who witnesses the van shuddering. Seeing their reactions I remembered talking to them about what they had found.

***

When they had tried to contact us but were unable to get through, they raced back to help with their hearts in their throats. Arriving at the van, they were terrified to see it looking like Swiss cheese with so many holes it was a wonder that it hadn’t blown up. As they approached it, each one of them was trying not to picture the mutilated bodies that might be inside, but when they opened the doors, they were greeted with a mess of destroyed gear and blood sprinkled everywhere. Their horror grew as they followed the blood trail away to where it was in puddles behind the cement wall from where we hid. After that they had no idea if we were alive, captured, or dead somewhere, but it was obvious that we were injured. Desperate, they moved to search the surrounding area in the hopes of finding us hidden somewhere while backup came to help clear the scene. As time passed, their search continued to come up empty causing their panic to grow. What had become of us?

After they had rehashed those memories at the hospital, they tried to thank me for protecting their partners. Honestly, I had to tell them that I was pretty much useless. The credit went to Charlie and Neal for fighting the cyber attack, Sue for picking up on what was being said to give us warning, and Neal for fighting off all of the attackers to protect us.

***

Realizing what the situation had put Peter through, Neal looked apologetic. “I’m sorry Peter. You’ll probably be happy to stick me behind a desk for a while, but I’m a field agent so don’t expect to keep me there forever. My… I want to say real boss but you are also my real boss, so I guess my other boss with the FBI has agreed to fill you in on what I am doing here while my agency boss will allow me to tell you some of who I really am. Congratulations, you’re being promoted to being my official partner as Caffrey and as myself.” Neal grinned at him trying to distract him with hints and clues to make him curios while not telling him too much in our presence.

“That isn’t working Neal. I’m still not happy to hear that you not only went off on your own, but you refused to let us help you while you were severely outnumber.” Peter was in boss role and reprimanded Neal.

“I was in less danger than the three of you coming after us because I’m armed with more than I can talk about. Once I can tell you about what the Intersect is, as I am one so you’ll have to know, then I promise not to go off doing ‘stupid things’ without at least being able to give you an explanation of why. Does that help?” He widened his eyes expressively. I imagined he was using one of his conman techniques to try and win Peter over.

The more clues Neal shared the more Peter relaxed, but it was obvious he wasn’t going to calm down quickly. “That had better be a very in-depth explanation with some serious warnings as to what to expect in the future.” He laid down his demands.

“As in depth as it is safe to share and as much warning as I can provide.” Neal held his hand up in the scouts honor sign.

“That is getting better.” Peter offered an olive branch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everybody for reading, reviewing/commenting, following, and leaving kudos :D I love reading about how much you all are enjoying my stories and occasionally enjoy checking the stats to see the growing number of readers. Although I write for the fun of it, it is nice to know that it is appreciated :)


	6. Don’t judge a book by its cover

*******

When we got back to the office we were a whole new team.

Neal and Charlie went to one end of the room where they climbed into a couple of computers. Together they went to work on their tagged information, tracking their hacker/s, and using Charlie’s math to find what all was taken. No one else in the room could be of assistance so we went to work on the rest of the case at the other end of the table.

For the first time working with this group, I actually felt like I was one of the team and not some bystander always watching what was going on around me.

As we worked to get information compiled I bounced around the group. For a while I put together reports of what had happened with Sue. Then, I worked with Jack to track down the militaristic connections as we tried to find how Tyrone got his kill squad. Finally, I spent some time with Peter and Don as we worked to compile a file on Tyrone Rex along with all of his connections.

Then I realized why I was suddenly fitting in. I wasn’t criticizing them and looking for the faults I imagined to exist due to what my grandfather had always taught me. Instead, I was looking for comfort in understanding what had happened and why, while also seeking to understand how they were handling the situation so well. By trying to understand the group, I was reaching out to them and making connections that they had been offering the entire time. The problem hadn’t been that they were working for the FBI, but rather my perspective of them.

That realization caught me by surprise. My grandfather had always taught me to judge people. Now that his beliefs had been proven wrong, I didn’t know how to proceed.

Luckily, Neal had some answers for me.

We were in the conference room alone when Neal pulled a chair up beside me. “Why did you think that a deaf person shouldn’t be working in the FBI, that geniuses don’t know how to make their knowledge apply in the real world, and that a criminal doesn’t deserve a second chance?”

I had never told this story to anyone as no one had ever asked me (especially not point blank). It took me a moment to collect my thoughts. Then I told him about my grandfather and how he raised me. When I finished Neal shared his words of wisdom with me.

“So your grandfather judged that criminal on his history. Did he know what his crimes had been or any of the details?” The implications of his question would have wound me up except I knew that he had faced the same opinion with his cover.

Really, I didn’t know the answer to that. “Uh… I never thought of that. If he knew I don’t remember him telling me.”

“Okay, how about the deaf guy. Did anyone invest the time to teach him or was he struggling to make his way on his own?” Apparently his mission was to make me think about how my grandfather got his opinions.

“I get it Neal. I don’t remember him ever saying anything about getting to know the people that he criticized.” He didn’t say anything, just looked at me while waiting for me to figure out his point. There wasn’t a wait as I had already figured it out. “Yeah, so I should get to know people before I make my opinion of them.”

“It’s not that easy. You know why Sue, Charlie, and I ignored your treatment of us?”

I shook my head.

“Because, we deal with prejudices every day. If they aren’t in our offices, then we have to deal with the general public who also carry a lot of prejudices. Such thoughts are common and difficult to overcome so your actions were simply something that we have had to learn how to deal with.” Leaving me with that food for thought, he seemed to change the subject.

“Now I am going to tell you a story.” He went on to tell me about his work in the field and how he ended up in a situation where an agent from his protection team shot him in the back. “Trusting others isn’t easy. There are only two agents I fully trust and two teams that I rely on to have my back. Although, I do have to admit that I definitely like our team here, but working together isn’t permanent. My point is that you can’t be too trusting, but you don’t want to judge too quickly either. The balance is to be careful but give people a chance to prove themselves. I guess a good motto would be to ‘trust but verify.’”

“Is that how you deal with everything?” It felt odd going to him for advice but it turned out that he is the experienced field agent.

“Yep. I’ve known my counterpart in my agency since I was eighteen and Peter since I was twenty four. Admittedly my other friend didn’t get tested so much as we were just kids thinking our lives would go in ‘normal’ directions, but I studied Peter for over three years while he was chasing me around the world. They have proved themselves to a point I don’t trust anyone else more than them.” This was the most real that I had ever seen him. The more I saw him for himself, the more I liked him. He is a really skilled agent with a lot to teach and I was lucky to work with him.

My phone vibrated with a text saying that my presence was requested from another agent so I got up to leave. “Thanks Neal. I’ll keep that in mind.” He nodded and I left the room.

Walking into the hallway, I found Peter leaning against the wall. It was obvious that he had heard part of the conversation (probably about Neal getting betrayed and shot in the back by his concerned expression and pale coloring) and he was trying to compose himself before walking into the room. I nodded to him and kept walking.

*******

Each day we worked to transfer the case work to the appropriate agency or to task a team to make arrests based on the evidence. As we wrapped up the task force I continued to think about Neal’s words.

He had encouraged me to judge each person based on their own merits after gaining a perspective of who they are. The plan was for me to make better choices for myself in the future, to not trust a crooked agent just because they carry a badge and to not miss out on an opportunity at friendship just because someone doesn’t fit my opinion of who they should be. I came to the conclusion that Neal was right and I had missed so many opportunities. In the past I had always judged people by their covers while never cracking the pages to see what was inside.

While I was wrapping up my personal reports in the conference room the others decided to talk to me on the subject too.

Jack started the conversation by telling me about how he started working with Sue. Apparently she was trying to speak to personnel only the directory was out of date due to some recent moves. They talked, she learned she was talking to a field agent, and then she left embarrassed. While she walked away Jack had noticed Levi which aroused his curiosity. A few conversations later and some testing of her abilities before she was officially made a part of his team. “If I had simply let her walk away and not allowed my curiosity to get the best of me, I wouldn’t be working with one of the best friends that I have ever had. She is deaf, but that gives her an advantage that no one else in the hearing world can compete with.”

This started the others into a conversation of how they got started working with their unusual partners.

Don picked up the conversation next with how he started working with his brother. He talked about growing up with a brilliant kid brother who had been talking special classes since he was four. That despite the five year gap in ages, they had graduated on the same day causing personal issues which eventually led to them being somewhat estranged until their mother’s death brought them back together. Their working relationship had started with Don struggling to catch a serial rapist turned serial killer. The case wasn’t progressing quickly so he took a break at his father’s house to freshen up. When he finished, he found his brother was going over the maps of the crime locations and they started talking about what Charlie could find using the map and his math. They started working together and, despite the bumps in the road, they had been able to build a relationship as brothers like they had never had before. “I admit that having my brother exposed to things like this case terrifies me, but the positive side of it all is that we now have the best relationship that we have had in our lives.”

Finally, Peter spoke up and told me some things about his opinion of Neal. He told me that Neal’s character personality was a childish one who liked to color outside of the legal lines by pulling small cons. While he was globetrotting he spent a great deal of time pulling crimes that showcased his skills in art, social engineering, physical capacity, intelligence, and his ability to evade capture. After Neal was captured he displayed a love of people by putting himself all out to protect his friends, solved cases to look out for victims, and cultivated new relationships around the office. “I haven’t had my meeting with Neal so I don’t know who he really is or why he is playing such a character, but he has been really good at hiding the agent behind the con. My point is, don’t focus on Neal as a representative for CIs as criminals don’t tend to be secret agents. However, some turn out to be great contacts and a few even turn out to be potential friends if given the chance.”

They each had a point. I watched them working with their best friends and saw the high opinions that they carried for each other. The relationships were all things that they had taken a risk to cultivate. If they hadn’t moved past the prejudices against people, they never would have gotten to enjoy the benefits of the friendships.

*******

The task force was the hardest job that I have ever worked. It forced me to reevaluate everything that my grandfather taught me, caused me to face my insignificance, and opened the door to new opportunities. I learned some very important lessons overall.

Three people taught me to never judge a book by its cover. When we met, I saw a deaf woman who was incapable of understanding the world around her, a criminal who would use any opportunity to take advantage of others, and a book smart genius who wouldn’t know how to apply his knowledge to the real world. I saw them as inferior, incapable of doing their jobs, and I couldn’t imagine giving them a chance to prove themselves. By the time I left I had a whole new perspective.

Sue proved that deaf people aren’t defective simply because they can’t hear. They have strengths of observations through their other senses that a hearing person could never compete with. In addition, they still have intelligence and skills unique to them that make them irreplaceable. For Sue, she utilized her eyes to see and her sight caught the movements of lips which provided a means of gathering information. When she had the information she processed it with her intelligence to make use of it all. She was the first handy cap person to work in the field for the FBI.

Then Charlie, he may be a professor who spends a great deal of time with his nose in a book, but he also specializes in Applied Mathematics for a reason. His whole profession revolves around the ability to use advanced math to solve problems and, since he can see numbers in everyday life, that allows him to hear the world communicating on a level that most simply can’t understand. He worked the case by using numbers in order to reach beyond the obvious and into a level of real life that no one else could accomplish.

Finally, Neal was a prime example of not judging a book by its cover. When the case started, he was working through his character’s role as he dripped with charm and personable pleasantries which made him sickening to me. Then when the situation fell apart he risked everything to ensure the safety of those with him, including me despite how I had treated him. This led to me learning that his work is to take down crooked agents while protecting those they endanger no matter the cost to him.

They taught me that although my old fashioned files and police work have their place, their skills made the impossible possible. Without them, we wouldn’t have solved the case and I would have been killed in the van. This opened my eyes to the discovery that they were the people who used what made them unique to accomplish things beyond what others could comprehend, that they moved forwards and accomplished new heights. While I simply judged them as different, they were the pioneers of change who made a positive difference in the lives of others.

*******

Eventually we got the case closed and the task force was getting ready to disperse. The last day that we worked together we were talking about what we were going to do.

No one was particularly surprised by the plans of the others as they were mostly going back to work as normal. Peter and Neal didn’t really know what was going to happen with them as they were scheduled to have their meeting the next day. My plans on the other hand, were rather surprising.

After working with the task force I had decided that my horizons needed to be broadened. In order to do that, I intended to go work with a similar team based out of DC. They comprise of the FBI agent Seeley Booth and Dr. Temperance Brennan.

Seeley has a history of being a hockey player, military sniper, and a great leader of his team. He had several comparisons to the agents that I had been working with so he would provide me with a means of better understanding them. His partner Dr. Temperance Brennan is a world renowned forensic anthropologist who carries a Sherlockian reputation for being able to read people’s bones. When she looks over a skeleton she is able to tell several details about a person right down to their occupation by the markers left behind. The two teamed up to work on a creative means of solving crimes by combining Seeley’s field and people skills with Temperance’s knowledge and lab skills. Working with them would hopefully provide another means for me to overcome my prejudice and learn to understand people for who they really are.

The others enthusiastically encouraged me in my new endeavor and invited me to visit them anytime a case should bring me around. For Jack and Sue, we would be working in the same building so they invited me to drop in from time to time. As for the others, although we would be stationed in separate cities I was being assigned to a team known to travel so there was always the possibility that I would be in touch.

When we finished our paper work for the day we exchanged contact information, took a group picture, gave our farewells, and shook hands before splitting off to return to our normal lives.

*******

Looking back, that task force is what changed my life and I have promised myself never to forget them. Although our contact is sporadic for most of us, I see Jack and Sue often while the group picture has graced my desk ever since as a permanent reminder to the lessons that they taught me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A thank you to everybody who has read, reviewed, followed, left kudos, and chosen to favorite. I am glad that you enjoyed this tale as well as my other previous posts. :D
> 
> Next week I plan to start into my 'Tales of Twins' story with the brothers Neal and Noah (Bryce). Just a heads up, I do not plan to take prompts and will not guarantee to write any that may be shared (probably couldn't keep up). However, if there is something that you would like to request, keep it clean and I will take it into consideration for either a story or plot filler (in either the Tales of Twins or other stories).

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of these shows and the prejudices displayed in this story are not my own but rather a depiction of those the character's contend with.


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